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Shopping with the Grandmothers

Every Tuesday, my mom would take Mawdie to Paducah so she could get groceries for the week. Sometimes, Grandma Thomasson would go too. Grandma was a pretty serious person; but when she went to town with Mom and Mawdie, they usually made her laugh. I know that one time when she went with them, Mawdie told Mom to be sure and stop at the liquor store on the way home just to see how Grandma would react. They got the reaction they were expecting; Grandma got pretty irate over it. After she figured out they were messing with her, she started suggesting they stop at the liquor store.

In the summer, when we were out of school, my little sister and I went with them. It was a fun day because we got to eat lunch somewhere other than home and that was a real treat. We usually ate at Kreske’s Dime Store and Mawdie and I always got a grilled cheese sandwich with potato chips and pickles. Kreske’s was pretty much a general store; it had everything like household goods, clothes, jewelry and cosmetics.

Cheryl and I were each given 25 cents to spend while we were in there and let me tell you a lot of stuff could be bought for a quarter back then. But, my purchase was usually the same: false fingernails (because I kept mine bit off in the quick). Now, the fingernails back then were not the nice fitted ones like we have today. And the most sticky, messy glue was included to use to put these puppies on your fingers. They didn’t stick well because you could just bump one of your fingers and the nail would go flying off into next year. I never learned my lesson though because each week I would get a new set. I don’t remember what Cheryl got with her quarter, probably a ball or some other kind of toy (she was a lot smarter than I was). Sometimes, Greg (our cousin) would go and he also got a quarter to spend.

Anyway, after lunch we would do a little shopping in Kreske’s and then go to John Green’s so Grandma Thomasson could pick up thread or material. As I’ve told you before, she was a wonderful seamstress. Sometimes we would go to Thom McCan Shoe Store or J.C. Penneys. I need to add here that there were parking meters downtown so sometimes Mom would circle the block two or three times before she found the exact spot she wanted. Of course, we had to make sure we kept the meter fed so we wouldn’t get a parking ticket.

Once we got all of that shopping done, we would head to the A & P Grocery. Uncle Cliff was the butcher there so we got good cuts of meat and also visited with him. It would take forever for all three of them to get groceries; but when Grandma went, she would buy a one-pound bag of cashew nuts; then she and I would eat them on the way home. There have been many a day that by the time I got home, I was deathly ill from eating too many cashews. But, I didn’t learn my lesson on that either because every time Grandma went with us, she would buy the cashews and I would make myself sick eating them.

You know, I really miss those good ole times and sometimes wish I could go back for just one day and go grocery shopping with my mom and my grandmothers.